Traditionally in software development, a manager or software tester needs to review a complete software design and decide if the entire design has fulfilled various requirements. If revisions are made to the design, the manager or software tester needs to review the entire design again because reviewing only the portions that have been changed is often not sufficient.
Similarly, in a graphical modeling environment, such as the Simulink® and Stateflow® modeling environments from The MathWorks, Inc. of Natick, Mass., a graphical model design needs to be reviewed by a manager or software tester. If changes are made to the graphical model design, the entire graphical model design is usually reviewed or tested to detect any unintended effects of the changes on other portions of the design that have not been changed. For example, when a sample time of a block is changed, such change may cause the new sample time to be incompatible with a sample time of another block. A graphical model is also not reviewed if it is incomplete, as additions to the model can affect existing parts of the model.
In the construction business, an architect and/or a civil engineer can devise a floor plan and building design, and an electrician or an electrical engineer needs to make sure the floor plan and the building design will accommodate the necessary electrical wiring and comply with safety codes. Sometimes an interior designer and/or a carpenter will also be involved in the design of a building. Building designs are usually reviewed only after they are complete because every time a floor plan is changed, many aspects of the building design are affected and changed as a result. A complete review of the modified building design is performed after any change is made to a complete design. There may be a need for a better review process for a design project so that review may be possible when the design project is still incomplete, and/or so that a complete review of the design project is not necessary when changes are made.